cataracs??

[Godsproperty]

I recently noticed minor difficulty and obscured vision in my left eye. i havent seen an optometrist in several yrs. it seems like a smoky film that i can only see in my peripheral vision. its almost like seeing small strands of hair or smoke in the air. could this be an early sign of cataracs? i am only 39 yrs. old. no diabetes or highblood pressure

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

Nice name by the way.  Yes, make sure you see an ophthalmologist.  I'm thinking that you might have floaters or vitreous degeneration or some other problem.  Cataracts would not have been first on my list but please get it checked out since you are having some abnormal symptoms.

MJK MD

[yarrow]

Anytime you notice anything funky hanging around in your visual field--especially if you haven't seen an eye doc in a couple of years, t's time to go to an opthalmologist--not an optometrist.  An opthalmologist is a specialist in the structure and functioning of the eye.